How to Keep Your Skin from Becoming as Dry as a Sandbox This Summer

Who's excited for summer? Oh, is that a unanimous yes? That's what I thought. But, bear with me here, there's a downside to the coming sunny days. If you're out and about, your skin has the potential to get a little dry or irritated. Or worse, burnt.

However, this year, we are taking it upon ourselves to be prepared, and therefore, prepare our skin for the warmth and fun in the sun. But we needed advice, and who better to turn to than a woman who has made taking care of her skin her business. The president and founder of Skyn Iceland, Sarah Kugelman, gave us all of her best tips for keeping her skin in tip-top shape during the upcoming warmer months.

Kugelman's first tip for us? Exfoliation during the summer is going to be different in the other months of the year. Why? Because it can make your skin photosensitive. And of course, the golden rule, the first commandment: You must always, always, always wear SPF, regardless of whether you are in the city or at the beach.

As for her daily routine, Kugelman starts with a cleanser that cleans the SPF on your face as well as the grime, but still protects it from drying out. All of us here at MIMI would suggest something like the Tata Harper purifying cleanser. In the summer months, Kugelman suggests a hydration booster and serum, "In the summer, I often use a hydration booster in between my serum and moisturizer. A pure form of Sodium Hyaluronate or Hyaluronic Acid is good. This gives skin an extra boost of hydration."

Once you've boosted all of that moisture in your face, then you seal it all in with a good moisturizer. "A lot of people like lotions in the summer because they are lighter in the warm weather, but I tend to still like cream as I find my skin is dry in summer. I go for something fast absorbing and not heavy/greasy with a light scent, like Skyn ICELAND’s Pure Cloud Cream," says Kugelman.

Another secret weapon? Oh, just our favorite beauty staple these days: face mist. Says Kugelman, "I also carry around a face mist, like Skyn ICELAND's Arctic Face Mist, to continuously add moisture to my skin throughout the day and especially before/after a workout. This is key to keeping skin moist."

And the most important part of keeping your skin looking fresh in the summer? A good exfoliating face mask. "It's critical to do a mask once a week. Again, that helps detox skin, remove dead skin, and open the pores. This also won't make your skin more sensitive to the sun if you do it at night."

Might we suggest the new Exfoliating Facial by Goop? It's one of our faves.

To finish things up, Kugelman suggests using oil at night, not during the day (certain oils can create sun sensitivity). So there you have it. Throw in a couple of Skyn Iceland's Hydro Cool Eye Gels and you are bound to have the best summer of skin you've had in a while.